Dear Heavenly Father, we praise your holy name. Thank you for your word that cleanses us.
In Jesus’ precious name we pray, amen.
Tag: God’s Word
Knowing God’s Word and the New 2011 NIV
Hello Friends,
Because so many of us use the NIV, I wanted to make sure you were aware that a new NIV translation was published in 2011 and is now being used exclusively online and sold in stores and there are some noted changes between it and the previous 1973/1984 NIV translation.
The version I’ve carried for 23 years is the first NIV, the New Testament having been originally published in 1973, and the Old Testament in 1978, although I do like to compare translations in various versions, and frequently look up the original Hebrew and Greek meanings to get a clearer understanding.
Not all the changes are bad, but I want to share just a few of them and how they alter the meaning of scripture. Words are important.
Psalm 51: 6 –
NKJV – “Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.”
1978 NIV – “Surely you desire truth in the inner parts, you teach me wisdom in the inmost place.”
2011 NIV – “Yet you desired faithfulness even in the womb; you taught me wisdom in that secret place.”
The Hebrew word for “inmost parts” is ̣ṭûchâh, which means overlaying, the kidneys (as being covered), the inmost thoughts. (The word for womb is beṭen, meaning to be hollow, the belly, the womb.)
The original language tells us that God desires us to have truth, or trustworthiness, in our innermost beings, our hearts. Not just pretending, but being of truly trustworthy character. But the 2011 NIV translates it in a way that would cause us to think God desires us to be faithful in the womb, before we’re born. The meaning is completely different.
Matthew 21:7 –
NKJV – They brought the donkey and the colt, laid their clothes on them, and set Him on them.
1973 NIV – “They brought the donkey and the colt, placed their cloaks on them, and Jesus sat on them.”
2011 NIV – “They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on.”
The 2011 NIV is worded to imply Jesus is sitting on the cloaks rather on the donkey and colt.
The significance of emphasizing the fact that Jesus sat on the donkey and colt is that by doing so He is fulfilling prophecy given to them in Zechariah 9:9 “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
A humble king of peace rode donkeys; a man of war would have ridden a horse.
Rather than entering as a conqueror coming for war to overthrow the Roman government as they expected Him to, He is showing them He was entering Jerusalem as a humble King of peace, the coming Messiah, the Savior of their souls.
The 2011 NIV also changes gender references to gender neutral which is not always bad, but sometimes that nuance changes the interpretation.
John 6:44 –
NKJV – No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him; and I will raise him up at the last day.
1973 NIV – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws him, and I will raise him up at the last day.”
2011 NIV – “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”
The 2011 change from singular to plural implies the Father will only draw a group of people rather than the fact that He sees, loves, and draws an individual.
There are many other changes to this new translation as well. They may seem small and insignificant, but as I’ve written about before, the enemy will use small, seemingly insignificant changes to confuse us, put doubt in our minds, and trip us up. He did that very thing with Eve in the garden, and it’s still a main tactic he uses today.
This is why we all need to not just read God’s Word, but prayerfully and with discernment, study it to know it like the back of our own hand so the enemy can’t use our ignorance to keep us from understanding the truth and leading us to believe something God’s Word doesn’t mean.
“I have hidden your word in my heart
that I might not sin
against You.”
Psalm 119:11
Heavenly Father, thank you for your enduring Word. Please give us a love for it as we read and study it daily that we might live according to your way that leads to life and joy. Please lead us by your Holy Spirit as we do to give us understanding and wisdom so we can abide in you and your truth always. In Jesus’ name, amen.
The Saturday Song – Voice of Truth
Hello friends. In case you haven’t noticed, there are a lot of voices out there screaming for our attention. And there are some up close, whispering in our minds things about ourselves that are absolutely not true. They are lies from the pit of hell.
And there is another Voice, whispering even smaller and quieter, that we are we are loved, we are forgiven, we are His, and He has a plan for our lives.
Every day we make a choice to discern those voices against the backdrop of God’s Word and the Holy Spirit, and choose to listen to and believe the Voice of Truth.
And when we put on the clothes of righteousness Christ purchased for us, and the armor of God the Spirit provides and step out in faith, we will live in victory.
Rooting for you!!!
Think About These Things
It is incredibly easy to get focused on what’s going wrong, what went wrong, and what might go wrong in the future.
Paul had plenty he could have been depressed about when he wrote his letter to the Church in Philippi.
He was writing while imprisoned unjustly and constantly guarded, and had to rely on people outside the prison to supply most of his food and anything else he needed. He lived with a chronic health issue. And he faced the real possibility of execution.
Five times he’d been punished with thirty-nine lashes, three times he was beaten with rods and once was stoned. He was shipwrecked three times, and spent a whole night adrift at sea. He faced danger from rivers, robbers, Jews and Gentiles, wolves in sheep’s clothing, in cities, deserts, and on the seas. He had sleepless nights, had gone without food and water, and had shivered from enduring cold without enough clothing to keep him warm.
But Paul did not focus on those outward things.
His focus was on his Savior and his calling, and both of those led him to have a heart for God’s people. Instead of thinking about all that was going wrong or could go wrong, he’s writing a letter to the body of Christ to encourage them.
He tells them not to worry about him, but reminds them the truth that his imprisonment has only served to advance the gospel inside and outside the prison.
He finds it praiseworthy that his imprisonment has served to strengthen the faith of believers, that they “dare all the more to proclaim the gospel without fear.”
And he speaks of the loveliness of this body of believers in sharing in his suffering by sending him aid.
Paul’s whole heart, mind, and soul are laser-focused on the Lord, on getting out the gospel for the sake of lost souls, and encouraging his beloved brothers and sisters.
If we’re abiding in Christ, our circumstances are in the hands of a gracious and merciful and loving Father. And the excellent thing about Him is that He loves to be our strength when we are weak, and He will use those circumstances in ways we might not know about until we see Him face to face.
Paul never knew he was writing the majority of the New Testament, and that 2000 years later we would be benefitting from the encouragement he took and wrote about to the churches while he was in prison.
Yes, there’s a lot going on in our own lives and all around us we could focus on that is untrue, unjust, unrighteous, etc., etc., and etc.
But we can take our thoughts away from those things and focus them on the Lord, the gospel, and our calling. We walk in the Spirit by first thinking in the Spirit, seeing our circumstances through the eyes of Christ, remembering He has a plan, and praise Him for all the ways He’s blessed us, is blessing us, and will bless us.
God’s given each of us spiritual gifts to use, and circumstances that allow us to use them.
I think about my own life, and let me tell you, it’s been a doozy. Almost from day 1 to now it’s been an uphill climb. Sometimes I come to some level ground, although even that’s been rocky. And every once in a while I come to an oasis – a true word from the Lord, a lovely friend, or a praiseworthy answer to prayer.
Yet I remember that it is in the very depths of those difficult circumstances that draw me to Christ, keep me needing Him, abiding in Him, and loving Him more and more. And without all He’s taught me through them, I wouldn’t have had much, if anything, to write about.
Even if we can think of nothing else, we can focus on the fact that
“In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:6-7
So. What can we focus on right now, today, that is
True (truth)?
Noble (worthy of respect)?
Right (just, in character or act)?
Pure (innocent, modest, perfect)?
Lovely (friendly towards)?
Admirable (well spoken of)?
Excellent (praise, virtue)?
Praiseworthy (commendable)?
Hint: The best place to be reminded of all that is true and praiseworthy and everything in between is in the very pages of God’s Word. (Can you imagine Paul’s joy knowing that here we are in 2021 taking courage from his encouragement?)
And one more word of truth lived out by our brother Paul –
“We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.” 2 Cor. 10:5
Heavenly Father, we give you praise for our salvation through Christ and for the continual blessing of the Holy Spirit. When we begin to get our eyes onto things or perspectives that would bring us down, remind us of what is true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable, excellent, and praiseworthy. Help us remember and live worthy of our calling to the praise and glory of Jesus Christ. And thank you for preparing for us a place in heaven, where we will live with you and everything that is good and right and holy forever and ever. In Jesus’ precious name, amen.
Sunday Praise and a Prayer for Discernment
Heavenly Father, we praise your holy and precious name. We’re so thankful for your faithfulness and patience with us even when we are less than faithful. Thank you for holding onto us and never giving up.
Father, we pray today that you would enable us to discern good and evil. We know the enemy schemes against us, and he is able to take your truth and twist and turn it, add in a bit of untruth, and try to make us believe it and follow that belief away from you.
Father, may it never be that way with us. We pray you would fill us with such a love for you that we would hunger and thirst for righteousness, that we would fervently seek you in your word and in prayer, that we would grow up in our faith, desiring and receiving the teaching of solid food.
Mature us, Lord, so that we may be discerning and not allow the enemy to trip us up in even the slightest of lies, deceptions, twists of the truth, or anything that would give him a foothold in our lives. Give us discernment to resist him, no matter who he may be using to spread his lies.
Give us ears attuned to your voice, and the wisdom to discern it from any others.
May we be strong in you, Lord, and in your mighty power, alert and filled with wisdom, that we would never accept anything but the unadulterated, powerful truth that brings the spiritually dead back to life, that moves mountains, that brings healing, that gives us the abundant life you came to to give us.
Thank you, Father, for your everlasting love. In Jesus’ name we pray, amen.
If you have a prayer request, you can leave a comment here, on Facebook or Twitter, or message or email me, and I would be blessed to pray.
In Christ’s love,